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Really nice for this money

Like the headline says it's a nice earphones for this money. They are not that that good because the cable is so thick and it is really small but it is a great price for this kind of earphones. I really don't like this in-ear because in a time your ears hurt like hell. But lije I said it is a really great money involved in this and you can make business out of it. It is not that much quality but what can you ask more for this money. I warmly recommend this if you are low with the money and if you are simple man you will really lije this. It maybe last for a couple of month but you will enjoy it while it lasts. So yeah if you like these kind of in-ear headphones and if you don't have the problem like I do by the time my ears hurt.

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For low music and style, these are for you

Having a plain pair of ipod headphones gets very boring, and so alot of companies now are starting to make headphones that are alot more stylish than than original. Although, coming with the high fashionable style, also comes poor quality. I am one who likes to play music so loud to the point I have o clue how I am not deaf yet. I could not play my phones music at the loudest with these headphones, because the base of the music would make the headphones crackle. I resolved this problem by turning my base off inside of my music options in my phone. Although, if you are anything like I am, turning the base off and keeping it off is just simply not an option,loud music is always the best. After using them a few times, I decided to just go back to my plain jane pair of ear buds, for the sake of better quality.

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Fashion earphones.

I am an easy person to buy for. When birthdays and Christmasi* come around I usually tell people exactly what I want, including URLs. When I was a teenager, these earphones were the only thing I wanted. Why? Unlike many earphones that have a generic white/black design, these were conspicuously bright and funky. While I felt I had a sense of refinement (I wore fingerless gloves for several years), unfortunately this was overtaken for my longing love for anything shiny. Think Grace Kelly in bling (and dressed like Dennis the Menace) and you have the general ideal of my youth.

So these I-Smart IS-004 earphones were the perfect solution. Available in either metallic pink, white, black or blue bullet 'housings', they also have silver foil decoration across the circumference and shiny silver backs. The bullet housings are 8 x 7.4 x 1.2 cm, very average for an earphone, but as expected, it is all about style rather than substance here.

The wires are also white, which used to be fashionably associated with Apple, before Dr. Dre went and ruined it with the new craze for wires of various colours. The manufacturer's site specifies that the wire length here is approximately 1.5m, but I have to say it feels a lot shorter, I would say 1m at the most. The wires are very thin and thus prone to tangling, but this is something earphone-wearers learn quickly to put up with. The entire earphone weight is a dainty 77 g.

Available from Amazon at the very reasonable price of £2.99, this is even more reason they will appeal to teenagers, on top of their loud and proud design.

When they arrived I was surprised to see they came in a small white plastic box with two replacement silicon ear-buds. The ear-buds were pink and blue: the soft kind with a dimple in the middle to facilitate the clarity of sound (and the picking up of dirt and grime - sorry). The manufacturer's website promises that "the metal bullet housings use the same speaker technology and sound signature used in professional monitors". Obviously I cannot confirm this.

The earphones are also noise-isolating, but I find this claim is extremely variable. I find the best test is to wear them with no music/noise. With these earphones, I didn't find them particularly noise-isolating during this test, but with music or other sounds, they were perfectly clear and audible, though the bass left a bit to be desired. However, in such a cheap and slight-looking pair of earphones I am not expecting the timbre and clarity more expensive brands can offer (for a significantly higher price).

The sensitivity of the earphones are up to 108 decibels, and the frequency response is 20Hz - 20KHz. I can confirm that the sensitivity is excellent at higher ranges, but for lower ranges bass tends to sound tinny. This isn't a big deal unless you only listen to Lil Wayne.

For those who really want to know, electrical resistance is 32ohm, which has absolutely no bearing on the sound quality but instead on the voltage swing. Basically, these are more suited to small audio devices than amps, but I have a hard time imagining anyone would be using these with amps anyway as they are rather flimsy. Best stick with headphones.

The earphones are also compatible with all devices - phones, DVD players, computers, and various mp3/mp4 players. Don't let the iPhone or Apple endorsement fool you. The earphones have a 3.5mm stereo plug, average, but never a bad thing when it comes to compatibility.

With all this information, you may be thinking that these earphones are a steal, both technically good and rebellious / pretty in design (for those that way inclined). Unfortunately - you would be wrong, as I was. As much as I was looking forward to using these, I found that they broke extremely quickly. One of the earphone bullets came apart and the entire product became unusable after only a week. I was very disappointed, but for £2.99, I suppose it is to be expected. At that price, they are easy to replace as well, but I decided not to bother and stick to branded earphones. As someone who has used many pairs of earphones, I can safely say these are the worst pair I've ever had when it comes to longevity.

Likewise, the manufacturer or brand making these earphones is not a particularly clear one, such as Apple or Creative. As they are only available from Amazon, the overall impression is one of cheapness and shoddy engineering.

However, for a pair of fun fashion earphones, these are the pair to get. They may not deliver technically on the lower range or have a reasonable longevity, but for any kids or teens interested in music or technology, they are cheap enough (and cool-looking enough) to satisfy their needs. Keep in mind though, while they have great compatibility over a range of devices, they probably won't last long enough to use them all. A great first pair of earphones, perhaps, but not for seasoned users.